Days after the death of porn mogul Hugh Hefner, it's been announced he'll be portrayed on screen by Jared Leto in a movie about his life.
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The Playboy founder died in Los Angeles aged 91 on September 27 (local time).
The biopic is being directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 3, X-Men: The Last Stand), who says Leto approached him for the role.
"Jared is an old friend," Ratner tells The Hollywood Reporter.
"When he heard I got the rights to Hef's story, he told me, 'I want to play him, I want to understand him'. And I really believe Jared can do it - he's one of the great actors of today."
Ratner and Leto attended a screening of documentary American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story at the Playboy Mansion earlier this year.
Hefner himself was set to be an executive producer on the upcoming film, which Ratner has been attached to for around 10 years.
In April of this year, Hefner said he "always believed that when the timing was truly right, the perfect creative partners would come together for this project. I believe we've found those partners in Brett Ratner and RatPac Entertainment. I'm very much looking forward to this collaboration."
A release date for the film has not yet been announced.
Newshub.
